Pride month: tech needs to do more than just pedal Pride platitudes
With Pride Month underway, we’ll all be seeing all kinds of rainbow-themed products and rainbow logos over the next few weeks, from companies celebrating the event. Google has started the ball rolling with a kind of on-screen rainbow ticker-tape parade when you search for 'Pride month', but my favourite so far is from Apple.
Its 2021 Pride Apple Watch bands are absolutely gorgeous: there’s a spectacular braided solo loop and a reflective Nike sport band, both of whose colours reflect the LGBT+ community in all its glorious diversity including the Black, Brown, Latinx, trans and non-binary folks who are often missed out.
But what matters here isn’t the products, as lovely as they are. Unlike many of the firms happily slapping rainbows on their Twitter logos this month, Apple walks the walk as well as talking the talk. It used the launch of its Pride bands to help raise awareness of the international day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia.
Tim Cook is the first openly gay man to head a Fortune 500 company, and he uses his profile to speak up for marginalised people and against intolerance and hatred. Apple puts its money where its mouth is, financially supporting a range of organisations battling against hateful rhetoric and legislation.
